New Clean-Diesel Truck Engines Surpass EPA Standards

Help our Earth by cutting down emissions.

In a notable win for the trucking industry, a new study shows that the new generation of clean-diesel truck engines that started rolling off assembly lines in 2010 substantially reduces emissions below federally-mandated limits. The newly released study reports a reduction in nitrogen dioxide emissions of more than 60% compared to emissions from 2007 engine models and 99% compared to 2004 models.

"These findings underscore just how clean this new generation of fuels, engines and emissions control technology really is, coming in substantially cleaner than required under the EPA and California Air Resources Board (CARB) standards," Allen Schaeffer, executive director of the Diesel Technology Forum, said on the organization's website.

Conducted by the Coordinating Research Council in cooperation with the Health Effects Institute, the recently released Advanced Collaborative Emissions Study is the culmination of a five-year research effort designed to test the emissions production and potential health impacts of the clean-diesel technology first introduced in 2004. When Phase 1 findings were released in 2009, 2007 engines were already showing an emissions reduction of 99% compared to 2004 engines, making the additional 60% reduction announced in the final report even more impressive.

"Not only are the 2010 and later model year technology near zero emissions for fine particles," Schaeffer explained; "this study confirms that they are also substantially below the EPA/CARB standard for one of the key precursors to ozone formation (nitrogen dioxide)."

According to Diesel Technology Forum statistics, more than a third of U.S. heavy-duty commercial trucks and buses currently in service use 2007-generation clean diesel technology and an estimated 11% use 2010 or newer generation clean-diesel tech. Under EPA regulations, heavy-duty diesel trucks must meet near-zero emissions standards for 435,000 miles, which Shaffer noted is "almost four times longer than required for passenger cars."

By reducing engine emissions, the trucking industry is significantly improving the quality of life for truckers and residents of the communities we drive through. But, as Schaffer noted, "we're not done yet." January will see the roll out of 2014-generation engines built to comply with additional emissions and fuel economy standards.